Not Like That
by assimilates
Summary: Zuko and Katara come to an understanding after the events of "The Boiling Rock" two parter. Spoilers. Zutara.
1. 01: Ketsuraku

**" NOT LIKE THAT "**

_01. CHAPTER ONE: KETSURAKU_

Zuko watched as Hakoda embraced both of his children loving, but found that he could only keep his eyes upon the scene for a moment or two. He directed his gaze elsewhere, focusing instead on the exterior of his sister's war balloon as he attempted to quell the sudden pang of jealousy coursing through him. He reminded himself that this was where he was meant to be, where his destiny lay, but could not help but think of the strong possibility that his mother was _alive_.

He must have been scowling, for the Avatar's gaze was now upon him questioningly.

"I'm going to go change out of these rags," he told the boy, who nodded.

The former prince remained blissfully unaware of Hakoda's eyes following his form as he ascended the stairs that lead to his room, of the frown etched into the blind earthbender's features.

Once inside his room, Zuko quickly rid himself of the filthy rags that had been placed on his back at the Boiling Rock. They'd taken his clothes from him, but he'd packed an identical change of clothes when he'd left the Fire Nation--just in case something happened to the former, which was the case. He changed into the pants and set the tunic and shirt aside, wanting to rise the dirt and grime off his skin and out of his hair first.

Stepping out of his room, he moved into a much larger one that housed the fountain in this part of the temple. He knelt down on his knees next to it and after taking a deep breath, dunked his head in the water.

He kept his head under longer than he should have, opening his eyes in the water and staring down at the smooth, grey surface of the pool's bottom. It was amazing how something that had been created so long ago could remain so remarkably flawless. Yet himself, who was barely seventeen years of age, was already cracked and damaged beyond repair. He envied the pool then, glaring at that sleek surface.

The need for air forced him to rise, hands gripping the edge as he sat back up, gasping and taking in large, long breaths.

"Trying to drown yourself?"

Zuko turned towards the voice, peering through the dark, wet locks that stuck to his face at the form before him--feminine, swathed in blue. The waterbender. _Katara_.

_Great_, he thought. _Just what I need_.

"Sorry to disappoint, but _no_," he answered, using a hand to brush his wet hair back. "Getting clean. Prisons don't exactly have the best bathing facilities." Not that they even had them at all.

He saw her fold her arms out of the corner of his good eye. Her foot tapped against the ground's stony surface one, then twice.

"Sokka said you two disguised yourselves as guards," she said finally.

"We did."

"I thought even the Fire Nation would let their guards bathe."

Zuko snorted. "I wasn't a guard for very long, in case you missed the rags I was wearing when I stepped off the balloon." He'd been wearing the same rags as Suki and her father. How could she have missed that?

The scowl that seemed permanently etched into her features whenever she was around him stayed in place, but she tilted her head to the side in idle curiosity--a sign for him to explain.

He turned away from her, dipping his left arm into the water and scrubbing at the dirt that stuck to his skin with his right hand. "I got caught in order to prevent your brother from getting caught himself."

Katara's eyebrows shot up. "Sokka almost got caught?"

Zuko looked over his shoulder at her and nodded. "Yeah. He was..._distracted_ by Suki."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

She got quiet and Zuko turned way from her and started scrubbing at his right arm. After a moment, she spoke up. Her voice was small, hushed, and hesitant. He barely heard her words.

"...thank you."

Zuko paused, thinking for a moment that he imagined her voice and slowly turned to face her once more. "...what?"

She looked away. "Don't make me say it again."

He frowned and rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" She snapped, her blue eyes on him again.

"Nothing," Zuko answered, turning away.

Katara made a noise of frustration and stomped over to him. "You would be acting like this if it were _nothing_. It's _something_ and you are going to tell me what it is."

He grumbled under his breath, trying desperately to hold the temper that the waterbender seemed to enjoy igniting in place. If he lashed out at her, she would only use his anger as fuel to torment him further and declare him unworthy of their trust. Didn't she see that he didn't care about what she thought? Not everything was about her! Him being here was about _Aang_. And maybe Sokka, since he'd formed and odd sort of friendship with the other boy. But never, never was it about Katara.

"You think this is about you," popped out of his mouth before he could stop it.

His answer seemed to throw her for a loop, for she got quiet for a few moments, before stammering out, "W-w-_what_?"

"You heard me!" He spat, temper rising. Zuko turned around to face her, eyes narrowed. "You keep acting like everything I do directly affects _you_. I'm sorry Katara, but it doesn't. So stop being so selfish and just leave me alone! I've got too much on my mind at the moment to deal with _you_."

Katara's blue eyes went wide as she watched him--briefly--then narrowed. She sneered at him and took a dangerous step forward. "Now who's acting like this is all about them? My dad and Suki just got out of a Fire Nation prison. You may've spent time in a cell, too, but they were there for much longer! Have some sympathy."

Zuko balked at her. "What? This has nothing to do with them!"

"Yes it does," she countered. "You were rude back there. Walking off."

He looked away from her. "I'm not a part of that. And not everyone who should've came back did."

"...what do you mean by that."

"Nothing."

She made a frustrated noise and stomped her foot like a child who wasn't getting her way. "Stop doing that! Stop shutting people out!"

Zuko's head snapped back to her. "And just _why_ do you want in!?"

Katara looked almost..._hurt_. Was it possible that despite her tormenting of him, that she was actually trying to...help?

"I'm sorry," he said. "I just...look, someone helped us escape. Someone who's now stuck in the Boiling Rock. And I feel like I should've--"

She cut him off, finishing his sentence for him, nodding in understanding. "--done something to help."

"Yeah."

"Who?"

"...Mai."

Katara's eyebrows shot up. "Mai? You mean that friend of your sister's who throws knives? Why would _she_ help?"

Zuko made a defeated sound and walked away from her, pressing a hand to his forehead. He wasn't sure how to answer that. "I think it was because of me."

Her footsteps drew closer; she'd followed him. "And that's...a bad thing?"

"No. Yes. No. Uhg, I don't know!" Fire surged from a clenched fist at his side, his bending reacting to his emotions.

Katara walked around him so that she was facing him. If there was one thing he would give the waterbender credit for, it was her ability to read people. She really did have that motherly thing down, even if he was annoyed by it half the time. "There was something between you two, wasn't there?"

He nodded. "Yes." _Was_ being the key word. She seemed to understand that without him saying it.

"You don't feel the same way."

Zuko swallowed the lump in his throat. "No, I don't. I love her, but not in the way she does--the way she wants me to. Not like that. If that makes sense."

It was Katara's turn to look away sadly. "I understand. Perfectly, actually."

He regarded her curiously, trying to figure out the meaning of her words. From somewhere in the temple, Aang's laugh sounded, echoing throughout the complex. Her sad look seemed to deepen and his good eye went wide. He knew the Avatar cared for her, but he always assumed that Katara reciprocated those feelings. He thought they were... "You don't love him like that either, do you?"

She shook her head. "No, I don't. He's like a little brother to me."

That made sense. Her protective demeanor. She was looking out for a sibling, not a lover. Zuko felt stupid for having assumed otherwise. He didn't know what else to say. It was weird, finding a common ground with her--something they had in common. It wasn't the first time, for it had happened once before in those caves back in Ba Sing Se, but it made him feel...uncomfortable. Not a bad sort of uncomfortable, but the kind that made him want to tug at the edge of his clothes and start talking about anything that wasn't that connection.

Sort of like when he was around that girl, Jin.

Which, of course, was ridiculous. Unlike Jin, Katara wasn't interested in him. And he wasn't interested in Katara.

At least, that's what he kept telling himself.

Katara seemed to sense the need for a change in subject, but unfortunately it wasn't one that was going to take his thoughts away from her. In fact, she only served to make him think about what he was denying more, for she suddenly came forward and placed a gently, chaste kiss upon one of his cheeks. It was the briefest of contact, but it made him feel hot all over. Kind of itchy, too.

His gaze followed her as she stepped around him and moved to leave. "W-what was that for?"

She stopped, but didn't bother to turn around. He almost expected her to say, 'for understanding,' but instead she said: "For bringing my family back."

Zuko wanted to say that Sokka did most of the work, that it was Hakoda's plan that got them out of there, but kept quiet. This...this would do. For now. For once, he and Katara weren't arguing. She wasn't throwing insults at him and he wasn't holding back the urge to throttle her. And he was beginning to understand, slowly but surely, just _why_ she got to him as much as she did.

It would be a while, though, before he'd be willing to admit it.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED...**

_"Avatar: the Last Airbender" is © Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko._

06/01/2008


	2. 02: Owari

**" NOT LIKE THAT "**

_02. CHAPTER TWO: OWARI_

* * *

**A/N:** Many people demanded another chapter to this once one-shot, so here you have it. This is a continuation and an alternate take on the scene in the finale in which Mai helps Zuko into his coronation robes.

* * *

"Need help?"

Zuko looked up to see Katara standing in the doorway, her blue eyes fixed to the bandage that covered his wound. If it had been any other person, he would've assured them he was fine and sent them on their way. Katara, however, _knew_ first-hand how badly he'd been hurt--she'd healed him, after all.

Sucking up his pride, he nodded. "Please."

Katara moved to him, but she didn't help him pull his arm through the sleeve of his father's robes. Instead, she knelt before him and pressed her fingers to his abdomen. Zuko winced and reached down to stop her, but she batted his hand away.

"You're still tender."

Zuko rolled his eyes. "I was hit with _lightning_, Katara. Of course I'm still tender."

She ignored that comment, running her fingers lightly along the length of one of the bandage strips. "Aang was, too, for a while after."

"Aang died."

Katara looked up at him, her expression unreadable. "You almost did."

"But, I didn't. You made sure of that." He offered a small, appreciative smile.

The waterbender merely sighed and plucked at the edge of the bandages, her fingers disappearing beneath the wrappings to touch the edge of the wound. It was already starting to scar and Zuko sucked in a sharp breath at the new and surprisingly pleasant sensation. Her other hand pressed against his side where skin was exposed and he suddenly felt compelled to reached down and seize her wrists to stop her. She stared at him, confused and blissfully unaware of exactly _why_ he'd halted her touches.

"Did I hurt you?"

He shook his head. No, she hadn't hurt him. Not in the least. In an hour's time, he would be crowned Fire Lord. He needed to focus on keeping his composure, what he was going to say and do..._not_ on how her fingers felt against his skin.

"Zuko?"

"Hrm?"

"Can I have my hands back or are you just going to keep them?"

Zuko caught the playful tone in her voice and arched his good eyebrow at her, tightening his grip slightly as if to tease her back. "Well--"

* * *

"Well, _what_?" Katara prodded, grinning up at him and reveling in the break from the serious atmosphere the palace had been coated in since she and Zuko had stepped out of Appa's saddle.

The crown prince, however, didn't seem to be in a joking mood anymore, though. His good eye was wide, expression somewhat weary, and he looked as if he wanted to run and hide like a child avoiding punishment. He was staring past her, at the door, and Katara turned and looked over her shoulder at the displeased figure in the doorway.

Mai.

"I thought you were in prison," Zuko breathed.

The gloomy girl sighed. "I was. My uncle let me out as soon as word of Ozai's defeat reached the Boiling Rock." She paused and her eyes shifted from Zuko to Katara. "What are you doing to him?"

Katara pulled her hands away as Zuko let go of her wrists. "Making sure his bandages weren't too tight," she lied as she stood.

"What happened?"

"Azula struck him with lightning during their Agni K--"

"I was talking to Zuko," Mai snapped.

The young man in questioned sighed heavily behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Katara, would you excuse us?"

Katara nodded, understanding. "Of course."

She left the room then and moved into the dining hall where the others were gathered. Sokka sat in a chair near the far wall, Suki sitting cattycorner from him with his broken leg resting in her lap. The older girl mumbled something about needing to change and passed Sokka's leg gently to Haru, who took her seat when she stood. Katara stifled a giggle at the sight, watching as Suki pressed a kiss to her brother's cheek and left, Sokka glaring hard at The Duke, who had pointed and laughed. Aang was nowhere to be found, but she assumed the young airbender was off seeing to Appa.

"That's not going to end well," a knowing voice at her side said.

She glanced down at Toph, the earthbender frowning with her unseeing eyes directed at the hall that led to the room where Zuko was changing into his coronation robes.

"With Mai and Zuko?"

Toph nodded. "Yeah. Sparky doesn't exactly like her like she likes him." Her head titled so the cloudy eyes now faced Katara. "Don't let me say 'like' that many times in a sentence again."

Katara laughed at that last part, but got serious. "I know."

"_Huh_," Toph breathed after a moment, lips pursed together and head titled to the other side.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Somehow, Katara didn't believe her, but wasn't in the mood to pry an answer out of the younger girl today. The past week had been the most trying experience of her life. At just barely fifteen, she'd been through more and seen more than most do before reaching their death beds. The time for her to be the serious one who kept the others in line had passed. It was time for her to relax a bit, too."

"Mai's not going to like what Zuko has to say," she told Toph. "I know she chased and attacked us and worked with Azula, but I kind of feel..._bad_ for her. She risked so much when she decided to save Zuko. I can't imagine what that must feel like, to make that sort of sacrifice for someone and then find out that their feelings aren't the same."

Toph was uncharacteristically silent and Katara suddenly felt a little awkward, standing there after saying that. Why? She didn't quite know--or maybe she _did_ and just wasn't ready to process it yet.

"He'll do the right thing," she said in attempt to break the silence, but Toph only nodded in agreement.

After a moment, though, Toph seized her arm, exclaiming, "Whoa!" as she tugged Katara back. The waterbender stumbled along, confused until she saw the angry form of Mai storming into the room. There was the slightest of hesitation in the shuriken expert's step as she passed them, her dark eyes focusing on Katara as she did so.

The room had gone silent and even The Duke had stopped making noise of any kind. The young boy had been standing between Mai's approaching from and the doorway and quickly bolted out of the way, going to hide behind Sokka, who eyed Mai wearily.

"What's her problem?" Sokka asked once Mai had left.

Katara would have answered him, if concern for another person hadn't caused her feet to move and carry her down the hallway. She heard Toph answer for her, telling Sokka not to worry about it and continued down the hall. Coming to the room, she found the door still open and peered in, not seeing Zuko at first.

"...Zuko?"

"Over here," came his reply and she ventured deeper into the room and saw him standing at the window, leaning on the ledge with his head bowed. She hesitated, then moved to him, coming up beside him and putting a comforting hand on his back.

They stood like that for a while, Katara's attention temporarily stolen by the expanse of the capital that was visible from this side of the palace. For a city she'd seen swathed in nothing but shades of red before, it looked so _right_ with the various banners of green and blue that were draped across some buildings where nobles and government officials from the Water Tribes and Earth Kingdom had taken up temporary residence. It was a rare sight for the Fire Nation and one that Katara hoped would continue long after the golden flame was placed on Zuko's head.

"I think I broke her heart."

Katara's attention returned to the firebender at her side and she patted the shoulder she touched, only noticing now that robe was still hanging off of one side of him, the other still bare with the bandages exposed. "You did the right thing," she reassured him.

He sighed heavily and she felt it beneath her hand, pulling it back when he pushed off the ledge and turned around to face her. "Did I? I thought I was past my habit of hurting people."

She reached out to touch his arm, but he moved away before she could reach him, moving over to where the was a mirror on the wall and attempting once again to get his arm through the other sleeve without straining his injuries. Katara frowned at him and moved up behind him, commenting, "You're impossible," and taking hold of the limp sleeve.

"What are you--"

"Helping, like I said I would. Now, hold your arm out--no, not straight, bend your elbow some!" Rolling her eyes in annoyance, Katara seized his arm and bent it at the proper angle, then slipped the sleeve over his flesh, pulling the collar up to his shoulder and smoothing out the fabric there with her palm.

"I can do the rest myself," he said in a voice entirely too small for her to take him seriously.

"Sure you can," she said and poked him in the side lightly, smirking in satisfaction when he winced. She moved to take hold of the sash that would keep the robe closed, when he seized her wrists yet again.

* * *

He wondered if she knew, if that clever mind of hers had worked out a piece of the puzzle that would explain exactly why he wouldn't go back to Mai. Sure, she knew from before that he did not care for Mai as much as the girl did for him, but there was something else within his reasoning now, something that Katara was responsible for. It hadn't been there originally, having only recently surfaced in his mind and had quickly became something he couldn't seem to stop thinking about.

Which is why it concerned him that she was entirely too close to him that she should be right now and he had only made matters worse by taking hold of her wrists, for his intents of stepping away from her were now ruined by the fact that her head snapped up as he looked down, her face now inches away from his own. His breath caught in his throat and whatever he'd intended to say to her died in his throat before it could be properly articulated.

Zuko stood rigid as he waited for her to move or demand to have her hands returned to her again, but she stayed where she was--eyes wide and staring up into his golden ones, drawing his attention to her lips as her tongue darted out to wet them. She must've noticed where his eyes went, for her cheeks tinted a fascinating shade of pink.

He made a decision for her and let go of her wrists, but her hands moved to fist in the fabric of his robe and she stayed in place, not moving and preventing Zuko from doing so as well.

He found his voice with some difficulty. "What are you...?"

"I...don't really know," she breathed quietly.

For a moment, it seemed as if she was going to close the gap between them, but she looked down instead, lowering her chin so that his mouth now hovered over her forehead and not her lips. He bit back a groan of disappointment that turned into a small gasp as she placed her hand on his chest again.

He swallowed roughly. "Katara--"

"You saved my life," she started, cutting him off. Her other hand joined the fingers that were already dancing around the area where his sister's lighting had split him open. "I could have dodged her strike, you know. I was going to move, but you jumped in the way. I thought you did it on reflex, but now I think..." Her voice got quieter, smaller, as she trailed her palms along his flesh until her hands rested on either side of his neck. "I think that's only part of the reason."

Zuko pressed his lips to her forehead instinctively, chastely kissing the flesh there, taking hold of her hands and stepping back, holding her in place at arms length. She looked hurt and confused, as if she'd jumped to an untrue conclusion and opened her mouth to utter something that he anticipated was an apology.

Such an apology, however, was not needed.

"It was," he admitted. "That was one of my reasons. I had to think fast and that's the first direction my mind went in and I followed it. It's the first time I've done something so drastic without thinking it through and haven't regretted it."

Her eyes shined with tears and he would have pulled her back to him for a hug or perhaps something else, if a knocking sound hadn't caused him to drop her hands and jump away.

Zuko turned to see Toph in the doorway, arms crossed over her chest and eyebrows arched high above her unseeing eyes. "Sorry to interrupt, but your father's looking for you, Katara."

"Thanks, Toph," Katara said and moved back to Zuko. He thought her bold for doing so in front of Toph, but she did not hug him nor kiss him. Instead, she seized the sash and tied it firmly around his waist and moved away.

He took a step to follow her, but stopped, remembering that he needed to finish getting ready. He had duties to attend to now, a role to play in this game and couldn't go off and follow whomever he wished to anymore.

Katara stopped at the doorway, Toph having already left and leading the way down the hall. She looked over her shoulder and asked, "Later, then?"

A smile broke out across his face of its own accord and he didn't bother to stop it. "Later," he agreed with a nod.

She returned the smile and shouted, "Coming!" after an irked Toph who had called out, _"Get a move on, Sugar Queen!"_

Zuko watched her as she ran out after the earthbender and called out himself for a servant in one of the adjoining rooms to help him finish getting ready. As distracted as he thought he would be before, he was suddenly very focused on the words he would say to the gathering crowd--if only because the sooner that speech was over with, the sooner he could continue whatever had been started with Katara.

* * *

**END.**

_"Avatar: the Last Airbender" is © Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko._

8/21/2008


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